Miami Dolphins notebook: Robert Rose admits to taking gifts at Ohio State; another name to watch at QB; and were the paycuts necessary?

As we trudge through the dog days of the NFL lockout – the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis will finally hear the case this Friday, with a ruling expected later this month – we have a few Dolphins-related notes to help you get through your Tuesday.

The biggest sports story of the weekend came on Monday (sorry, Indy 500 fans), when Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel suddenly resigned due to insurmountable evidence that he lied to NCAA officials about his knowledge of his players receiving illegal benefits.

Rose

And the story managed to ensnare the Dolphins in a round-about way. Sports Illustrated published an in-depth account of Tressel’s violations, and one of the on-record sources was defensive end Robert Rose, who played at Ohio State from 2006-09 and was a member of the Dolphins’ practice squad for most of the 2010 season.

Rose, who was inactive for the three games he was on the Dolphins’ 53-man roster last season, said he didn’t have any regrets selling his memorabilia while in college to make a little side money.

“I knew how much money that the school was making,” Rose told SI. “I always heard about how Ohio State had the biggest Nike budget. I was struggling, my mom was struggling. … It was just something that I had to do. I was in a hard spot. … [Other] guys were doing it for the same reasons. The university doesn’t really help. Technically we knew it was wrong, but a lot of those guys are from the inner city and we didn’t have much, and we had to go on the best we could. I couldn’t call home to ask my mom to help me out.”

It will be interesting to see if Rose’s participation in the article will cause any adversity in the Dolphins’ locker room, which also includes former Ohio State teammates Brian Hartline and Austin Spitler.

Hartline, in particular, is a staunch defender of Tressel. When former Buckeye receiver Ray Small detailed his various offenses to the Ohio State school newspaper last week, Hartline, the Dolphins’ third-year receiver, and several former teammates blasted Small on Twitter.

Rose is battling for a roster spot in 2011, and his case may not be helped if his comments cause any drama in the locker room.

2. Another quarterback to consider for Miami – Matt Moore.

If we’re going to sit here and throw darts at all of the potentially available quarterbacks that could fit with the Dolphins this offseason and give Chad Henne some much-needed competition, let’s add another target that makes sense: Carolina’s Matt Moore.

Moore, undrafted out of Oregon State in 2007, signed with Dallas that summer when Jeff Ireland was the director of scouting and Tony Sparano the assistant head coach. They liked Moore’s potential when he completed 21-of-29 passes for 182 yards and a touchdown in two preseason games, but couldn’t keep him on the roster because of a numbers crunch. They tried to sneak him through waivers and bring him back on the practice squad, but Carolina instead scooped him up.

Carolina QB Matt Moore wouldn't cost Miami a draft pick, has 11 career stars and has experience with Ireland and Sparano / AP

He played in 20 games, with 11 starts, in three seasons with Carolina (he missed all of 2008 with a broken fibula), and threw 15 touchdowns, 14 interceptions with a 76.7 passer rating. He entered 2010 as the starter, but lost his job to injury and ineffectiveness.

But Moore still has plenty of potential. Former Browns personnel executive Russ Lande, now with The Sporting News, calls Moore “perhaps the most intriguing QB available this offseason. … If he gets back to his pre-injury form, he can develop into a very good starter in time.”

And Moore likely can be had for a relatively cheap price, especially compared to other options like Kyle Orton, Kevin Kolb and Carson Palmer. The Panthers currently have six quarterbacks under their control, including No. 1 draft pick Cam Newton, second-year quarterbacks Jimmy Clausen and Tony Pike and experienced backup Brian St. Pierre.

Moore, entering his fifth NFL season, is awaiting the result of the NFL lockout to determine if he is a restricted or unrestricted free agent, but even if he is deemed restricted, the Panthers very well may let him walk because of their depth at quarterback. And the Dolphins would much rather find competition for Henne in free agency than via trade.

Moore, who will be 27 in August, won’t be the savior that Dolphins fans have clamored for since Dan Marino retired in 2000. But he has experience as a starter, has a history with the Dolphins’ regime and will likely come cheap.

3. Were the Dolphins’ employee pay cuts really necessary?

Dolphins owner Stephen Ross angered many of his employees when he instituted mandatory pay cuts among all staff three weeks ago because of the NFL lockout (the football staff will have its salaries cut starting June 1).

No pay cuts have been imposed on Green Bay Packers employees because of the NFL lockout, but team President and CEO Mark Murphy hasn’t ruled out that possibility if the labor dispute drags on.

“It’s based on when we’re going to start missing revenue,” Murphy said on Friday.

The Packers could withhold pay from selected employees, including Murphy, General Manager Ted Thompson, coach Mike McCarthy, the assistant coaches and other high-level directors.

Murphy said the lockout, which has been in effect for nearly three months, has had only a small financial impact on the Packers, primarily involving sponsorships. But ticket revenue and other areas haven’t fallen off.

“When the NFL decides to share its record-breaking profits collectively with workers, then it can start to talk about collective sacrifice in leaner times,” Bedard wrote.

4. 100 days until the start of the NFL regular season.

The Packers are supposed to host the Steelers on Sept. 8, which is 100 days from now. Don’t count me in the doom-and-gloom crowd yet – I believe the lockout will be lifted at the end of June when the players ultimately win the appeal – but the countdown is officially on.

5. Heat in 6.

I’m heading to “South Beach” tonight to cover Game 1 of the NBA Finals. It’s not really Dolphins related, but a few players should be at the game.

The Heat will win in six, and American sports fans will whine and complain about LeBron instead of appreciating an incredible display of basketball. But South Florida will be celebrating a victory over Dallas for the second time in five years.

Trackbacks

[…] The Miami Dolphins will look to add a veteran quarterback this off-season to come in and compete with Chad Henne for the starting job. One potential canidate would be Carolina Panthers quarterback Matt Moore. […]

[…] The Palm Beach Post’s blog reports that the Fins may be in the market for a QB without a team in Carolina – Matt Moore. He played in 20 games, with 11 starts, in three seasons with Carolina (he missed all of 2008 with a broken fibula), and threw 15 touchdowns, 14 interceptions with a 76.7 passer rating. He entered 2010 as the starter, but lost his job to injury and ineffectiveness. […]